


Soldier's fight home

by Rangerfan58



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Presumed Dead, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangerfan58/pseuds/Rangerfan58
Summary: It's been four years since Link's death and time has healed those wounds slightly, now the Kokiri have found someone who will help heal those wounds further in ways unimaginable at the moment. The soldier's fight isn't necessarily visible by the way but it is a fight
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What you recognize I don't own. Link returned to Hyrule only a few months after the events in Majora's Mask, however he returned without Navi who simply couldn't be found. Once he returned he joined the Hyrule military becoming a knight and due to his skills managed to become the youngest Captain ever at only seventeen. Two years later though during a battle Link is captured by the enemy and shortly thereafter is presumed dead, killed by his captors, with proof being his bloodstained green tunic that he always wore, his weapons (one of which was unknowingly the Master Sword which he had been given in secret) and an instrument that he always carried with him (when he had returned Link gave back the Ocarina of Time to Zelda who later gave him a replica of the instrument). Four years later on what would have been Links twenty-third birthday as far as everyone knew there's a new darkness rising. The Sages are unable to halt it in it's track and are wounded, with Nabooru in a coma, Saria in the Castle severely injured and only able to survive due to her status as a Sage and the rest of the Sages with minor physical injuries but depressed and feeling hopeless. What they don't know however is that there is someone about to be discovered in Kokiri forest, one who has been fighting the darkness that is coming, they have been doing so alone and mainly through defiance for they are found with injuries and obvious signs of torture. They also have few if any memories from before four years ago and even those memories are spotty, but everyone including the person will suspect it's for protection though from what they are unsure of. But memories are not always lost and sometimes those believed gone forever are not as gone as believed. And by the way the Kokiri know that Saria is the Sage of the Forest and since she has to occasionally leave the forest to do her duties as a Sage with her help they have managed to set up a means of communicating with Castle Town and more importantly Princess Zelda in an emergency since she would be the most likely person to know Saria's current whereabouts. The Kokiri thus also have an agreement to allow soldiers into their homes at need and will occasionally take them into the Lost Woods and make sure that they (and any Hylian's that enter accidentally) are protected from it's dangers in regards to their fate of being in there without a fairy (this agreement was important because there had been a few times a soldier had gotten separated from the troop and somehow entered the Lost Woods and since not all soldiers were made aware of the Kokiri the Kokiri protected the separated soldiers in secret while letting Zelda know where that soldier was so that his people could bring him back home). And also travel time is going to be realistic to a degree, instead of sheer minutes in game time depending on the location travel takes about a day or two even on horseback, though part of the message system the Kokiri use is messenger birds which also takes time

The group of six people were in obvious physical or emotional distress, they were also surrounded by guards and medical personnel for they were the Sages that had helped the Hero of Time and one of them was also the Princess thus the reason for all the security. They had been recovering from battle for three days now and it was obvious that Nabooru might never wake up and that Saria would take months to completely heal from her own injuries. Meanwhile the Princess looked out the window and simply sighed

"What is it Zelda?"

"It's just...I miss him Ruto, if not for what happened four years ago he would be twenty-three and due to his unique weapon might have turned the tide, or at the very least slowed down this mysterious enemy that we are now fighting"

Everyone who was awake suddenly also sighed and looked even more depressed because there was only one person that Zelda could be talking about due to the fact that they were the only person never mentioned by name because it hurt everyone to even _think_ about that person much less speak their name and so they had gotten to the point that if they _had_ to reference them it would be in general terms like him or he

"In any case we must be prepared for another attack, weaker though our numbers will be"

"Yes indeed, but first...I think that we should do something that should have been done not only days ago but four years ago, at least by the six of us even if only four are physically able to do so"

Saria speaks up

"Zelda I can..."

"Stay in bed until the doctor releases you from it, you know as well as I do that you're lucky to be alive with all your limbs intact"

And so somberly the four able bodied sages go to a graveyard within the courtyard of the castle and finally not only celebrate Link's birthday but also truly mourn and say goodbye to him, for when he had been declared dead four years earlier shortly after his nineteenth birthday they hadn't felt right celebrating it and neither did they truly acknowledge his death despite the proof they had before their eyes, what they didn't realize was that by finally doing so they could finally say his name, not without pain still, but everyone knew only that would be a possibility with time, but just the ability to say the name would be a start. They also realized that the Royal Court and the guards would have to know that they could say that name once more because it had basically become taboo to do so through lessons learned with pain (the Sages were deemed quick tempered regarding that name and more than one person had ended up with a black eye or broken nose for speaking the name in their presence, either that or the group became even _more_ depressed depending on what was happening at the time the name had been spoken. Even the King was not spared their sorrowful wrath, though he got off lighter due to who he was)


	2. Chapter 2

"Come, we have to go and speak with the King and make plans regarding our next step"

And so they go to the meeting that was being held and during the meeting was when everyone discovered that a certain name was no longer taboo to speak of through Zelda

"Darunia, do you think you and...and Link together with the Gorons and our forces could have held the lines here?"

Zelda points at a particular part of the map and Darunia nods

"Yes, Brother Link and I would have been able to hold the line for a little bit there, as long as Impa helped as well"

Ruto speaks up

"What about Nabooru?...if she was available to lead the Gerudo's anyways"

Zelda sighs at that

"Unfortunately if she was available I would have Nabooru return to her people and have them keep a continuous watch in the desert because of the fact that some of the attacks are coming from that direction, how they're not coming from the direction of Lake Hylia is beyond me, and you know it as well Ruto"

"Indeed, I'm surprised by that as well, what are your plans now considering that...that Link is not available to lead our forces?"

"Impa you're to be the leader of the forces there, try and think like Link would have, and no that doesn't include you scouting ahead, Ruto I know that due to the location there will be...difficulties regarding the Zora's but could you have your father send a couple of men to that location for a brief period?"

"Yes, we can rotate people, but you know that we Zora's can survive out of the water Princess Zelda"

"But you dehydrate faster and there's no real easy access to water to re-hydrate in, either via river to swim in or getting water to the camp"

The group plans late into the night and slightly into the next morning before calling it a day due to needing rest. Meanwhile the day of the battle that put Nabooru in a coma the Kokiri had discovered someone in serious condition in the Lost Woods and took them into their home and were simply doing what they could to help them, they had also decided not to contact Princess Zelda until they knew one way or another if the person would live though they were obviously a Hylian, late the afternoon that the Sages had finally started saying Link's name again the person woke up though very briefly

"Mido, shall we finally contact the Princess?"

"No, not yet, you know as well as I do that this might just be their last bit of strength coming before..."

"You're right, I'm sorry"

"It's okay Fado, I'm hoping they're one of the lucky ones but..."

"Their condition"

"Exactly, their condition"

Only hours later the person opened their eyes again and managed to stay awake long enough for a couple of spoonfuls of broth"

"Okay, _now_ we can make contact with Princess Zelda"

"Um Mido...it's a bit too late today to do so"

Mido finally looks out and sees that it was indeed too late to make contact with the outside world that day

"Then I guess early tomorrow we're making contact"

And so the next day they use the contact system while the person was once again awake and eating broth, though the Kokiri soon discovered that the person could hardly keep any of it down, they all also discovered that the mysterious person had few if any memories from before four years earlier and even those four years were spotty due to the torture they had endured

"Well in the meantime you can stay here and start your recovery since it's going to be a couple of days before the Princess receives the message due to travel distance"

"Thank you"

"In the meantime we need a name to call you and since you've forgotten that we're the one's who will give you your name"

"I...I'd like that"

"Okay then, you shall now be known as...Ravio, at least until you remember your true name"

Everyone knew why Mido had hesitated on a name for the person because they were all thinking about Link as well, not only because it had been his birthday just a day or two before the person was found but also how similar they looked to Link. The Kokiri also had issues saying Link's name because he had lived with them until he was ten, but even after he permanently moved to the city near the castle Link visited his old home whenever he could (which wasn't as often as he'd like but such was his life as a soldier), but at the same time because of the fact that they were permanently young in age but older in wisdom they had all with the exception of Saria managed the ability to say Link's name on occasion without an emotional meltdown within a year and a half, but the name still hurt even at the present and they did their best to avoid saying his name except at certain times for their own sake, though they knew that eventually the name would no longer cause pain and only fond memories

"I see, Ravio...okay that makes sense I guess, though hopefully either my memories come back or someone who remembers me from before my missing time comes and knows my name"

"Yeah, in the meantime, do you want to try and have broth again? I promise we'll take things slower this time in regards to how fast and how much you eat at once"

"Not yet, maybe a little later"

"Very well"

And so the rest of the time spent waiting was simply the Kokiri getting the person able to eat about half a bowl of broth. During the waiting time was the meeting that had the Sages speaking Link's name for the first time in a long, long time and the next day was when they would receive the message. It was in the afternoon after a morning of making basic plans that they decided they would finalize after lunch, the group was gathered around some maps when a soldier approached the group

"Your highness, there's a message for you, it looks like it's from the Kokiri"

"I see, thank you for letting me know"

The message is passed to Zelda who reads it and everyone can immediately tell that she was confused about said message she then looks directly at the waiting soldier due to procedures in place regarding messages from the Kokiri

"Lieutenant, I want you to bring the Captain of your squad to me immediately"

"Yes ma'am"

Five minutes later and the Captain arrived

"You wished to see me Princess?"

"Yes I need you to take a couple of men to Kokiri forest, the Kokiri found an unknown Hylian in serious condition recently, but decided to wait until they knew if the person would most likely survive or not, they've requested we now take over their care"

"Understood"

"Be warned Captain, the Kokiri mentioned that the person doesn't currently have a name, but that despite their condition they look slightly like...like Link"

"I understand, it can't be him and yet..."

"Exactly, you might want to call him by that name, but don't, call him by whatever name the Kokiri come up with if they have"

"Understood"

And so the group of soldiers leaves and arrives at the Kokiri forest three days later, part of what took them an extra day than normal was the fact that since they weren't sure if the person would even be strong enough to ride a horse they took the precaution of having a wagon brought along, and were met by Mido

"You're here for Ravio aren't you?"

"Ah so that's the name you gave the mysterious person you mentioned in your letter"

"Yeah"

"Yes, we're here for Ravio"

"Okay, we'll let him know, but...you're going to have to either carry him or have two people on each side of him so that he can walk"

"Still too weak to be able to do so on his own?"

"Yeah, and...getting him to eat is going to be an issue, he can barely eat even half a bowl of plain broth most days and that's taking it slowly"

"Mido, how sure are you that he can do a little bit of walking with assistance?"

"Pretty sure because we've seen him get up and try to walk himself, he never gets very far though even bracing himself against the wall"

And so with the help of two of his subordinates the Captain gets Ravio to the wagon and they start the long journey back to the castle but were forced to stop only a day in because Ravio became feverish. Now then the Kokiri had done what they could to treat Ravio's injuries and prevent infection and had done a decent job, unfortunately they missed a wound that had already closed up and had gotten infected before he was found, but the fever had been delayed because of the basic broth they had fed Ravio three times a day which while it didn't necessarily have healing properties the plants they used in the broth were known by Hylian's to prevent and help with fevers even if the person never actually took a bite of the plants. And now a day out of the forest without the plant and Ravio came down with a raging fever that the soldiers had to treat and find the source of the fever because they all knew that if they didn't the person could die, fortunately after another check the soldiers found the infected wound that the Kokiri unintentionally missed and thus cut it open again to allow the wound to drain

"Until we're sure the infection has drained we're staying here, as such I'm going to be sending one of you ahead to alert the Princess and King of our delay"

"Understood, I volunteer sir"

And so the messenger was sent ahead while the rest simply stayed by Ravio's side doing their best to keep him hydrated and tending to his wound as best as they could. During the week that they were there the plan that the Princess had made alongside most of the other sages had gone ahead for the defense but unfortunately the plan failed and more men were lost. When Zelda learned that the soldiers picking up the Hylian now named Ravio was delayed due to a fever from an infected injury she told the soldier that brought her the news that she was going to send him back with a doctor which she did, and it was the doctor who determined only three days after his arrival that it was safe to move Ravio despite the fact that Ravio was still feverish. This was because the doctor now knew that the fever was from another illness and not necessarily infection and since the doctor had plants that were helping with the healing of the wound and prevention of another infection the doctor decided it was best to move to the castle because the plants and wound coverage could only do so much, and they needed to close the wound properly but hadn't brought the tools necessary to do so deliberately in case of slow draining of infection even with the plants they had brought

"Doctor, is he...is he going to be okay?"

"Eventually Captain, right now his fever is more illness than infection, but I _do_ need to get him back to the castle soon or he risks getting another infection, though the coverings on him will help"

"Understood, we'll increase the pace slightly, but warn us if the increased pace is risking your patient"

"Will do"

And so they reach the castle within two days with their increased pace, but Ravio's feverish mutterings worried everyone because those feverish mutterings indicated just how severe the obvious torture had been, they also proved that Ravio truly didn't remember anything from before his time in captivity and that his captivity was spent with long periods either literally unconscious or in a safe place where he simply forgot what was happening to him as a mental protection and Zelda was warned about that before being allowed into his room

"Your highness, before you enter you must know, his feverish mutterings are...of a disturbing nature at times, hopefully he doesn't remember the incident once he's recovered but still while you're with him be prepared to hear terrible things that happened to him"

"I understand"

And so for the next week Zelda helped Ravio who eventually recovered and started to regain the progress he had lost, and everyone including him got frustrated with his inability to eat more than half a bowl of plain broth

"I know you're frustrated Ravio, but you've been through a lot and need time to recover, your fever took a lot out of you"

"I can't even walk without assistance"

"You will eventually, I promise"

"Your highness...I mean Princess Zelda, could I...could I be part of those strategy meetings? I know I might not be very helpful on the actual battlefield, but some of my memories from these past four years might help in other ways"

"Once you're a little stronger than yes you may"

"Thank you"

Ravio went to sleep soon after since he _was_ recovering from both infection and illness, he was actually in the same room as Nabooru and Saria, though for Saria he didn't know that because she had been allowed outside for a bit of fresh air with guards nearby to help her at need in getting around since the doctor had cleared her to start walking around the day before he arrived at the castle. When Saria returned to her room she saw that Ravio looked a lot like Link but also knew that it just wasn't a possibility, she also decided that once he was awake she would try to get to know him not knowing that Ravio was amnesic. Later that day was when Ravio woke up again


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello Ravio"

"Who...who are you?"

"My name is Saria"

"You...you look like the people who were in the forest that rescued me"

"That's because like them I'm a Kokiri, however unlike them I can survive outside of the forest due to unique circumstances"

"Oh"

And so the two begin talking and that's how Saria discovers her roommate was amnesic

"The Princess said that we shouldn't try to force me to remember anything until I'm stronger, but I can still help with planning with what memories I do have"

"When will that happen?"

"Not sure really, maybe in a week or two, who knows"

What Ravio didn't know was that Zelda had decided to start including Ravio in the planning of attacks immediately and thus made sure that he was carried to the war room

"If we have archers on this bluff they can protect the ground soldiers, Ruto, Darunia, do you think you can stage the Gorons here and the Zora's here?"

They both answered at the same time

"Yes"

"Good then in that case the soldiers will be here and..."

"That won't work Princess Zelda"

"Ravio?"

"It's...they're not entirely clear memories but when I escaped from...some place it wasn't easy, the enemy uses some kind of magic to not only make the enemy invisible but also to increase bow range, your archers..."

"No one is protected with the increased range and invisible enemy"

"Exactly, I'm sure you can't hit what you can't see"

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I'm afraid I don't know your highness, with my memories being what they are, you can't rely on them to help with the enemy much until I somehow regain more of my memories"

"Understood"

"Plus...without me being able to actually see the battle..."

"It's okay Ravio I'm not expecting you to do much at the moment except recover your strength, once you can start walking regularly without tiring we'll start training you in battle, mainly because I have suspicions about the enemy. I need to go talk to some people"

The King spoke up

"Zelda, do you truly think...are you sure you want to sour relations with _them_ "

"No dad, but if they've broken the treaty that we have with them, the treaty that _he_ gave his life for..."

"I understand"

Everyone knew that while the Sages could now say Link's name they also knew that they were under Royal orders not to say that name around Ravio, and made sure to know his location at any given moment because everyone was afraid that Ravio might start to get confused between the fact that he looked like Link and the fact that he was amnesic they didn't want him to start thinking he was Link without any real proof. A week later and it was confirmed that an unnamed group was keeping to the peace treaty that they had signed by force, this was confirmed in two different ways, the first was that the group had actually sent a _very_ small contingent to help with the new enemy, they also gave what information they had regarding all known enemies of the group and of Hyrule that they were currently aware of

"I see, Ravio I know that your memories aren't the greatest but do you remember anything from these reports?"

After reading the reports everyone could tell that Ravio did indeed remember something, something he had forgotten initially but seeing the report refreshed his mind

"Yes...I do indeed remember something, the desert fortress to the south of the Gerudo...I escaped from there and...and..." (eventually sighs) "and unfortunately I can't exactly remember my escape route or the layout, plus how I got to the Lost Woods when I was in the desert is beyond me"

"It's okay Ravio, we all know why you have amnesia"

The soldier that wasn't from Hyrule speaks up

"Wait...you have amnesia?"

"Can't remember anything from before four years ago and even _those_ memories are spotty at best still, that I remember anything helpful at all is surprising at times"

"Were you...were you by any chance tortured?"

"Yeah, I can't remember much regarding the torture but we do know that I was regularly starved considering my eating issues, and the doctor told me that I have multiple injuries one of which got infected recently. We think some of my blank periods are periods of unconsciousness and some are just blocked memories regarding what happened to me these past four years"

"I...I might have something that might help you remember more of these past four years but...memories from before that time are generally permanently lost, we know this because we've used it on soldiers that have been tortured before, there's...there's a drug that's been used in the past by enemies of ours, and by the way, while we...while we did kill that soldier after having him our prisoner for a time we never tortured them, at least not what we feel is torture. We denied him a day or two of food on occasion and beat them during questioning occasionally but we made sure to never to severe damage and always avoided doing blows to the head, and we never drugged him...well actually yes we did one time, but that was because either we gave him the drugs we did or he would have died, the worst we did with the drugging was sedation, the rest of the drugs were antidotes to poisons he was unintentionally exposed to and other medicines, and the sedation was mainly because he was out of mind with fever and sedation was the only safe way to properly treat him"

"You brought us his bloodied clothes and weapons, why didn't you give him a decent funeral, or return his body to us?"

"We couldn't return his body your Majesty, when we realized he wouldn't talk we gave him a swift death in honor of his fighting spirit, we laid him to rest and were getting ready to send his body back in clothes more befitting a soldier, even though he was an enemy, along with his weapons but when we came back...the body had been stolen from us, we searched for three weeks before returning the bloodied clothes that we had found and his weapons to you, his time during captivity is what made us decide to sign the treaty by the way, we weren't as forced as you believed we were"

"I see...but why not tell us this before?"

"We didn't think you would believe us and decided to give you time to heal from the wounds of his loss and the loss of the other soldiers, and by the way while he wouldn't have been dressed in his original clothes returning them along with the weapons was always part of the plan, though they would have been repaired and cleaned as best as possible"

"In either case we know the truth now, do you have whatever it is that will allow Ravio to remember the past four years?"

"Yes, but I wish to wait"

"But I..."

"You're too weak Ravio, I can tell just by looking at you that you don't even have the strength to stand on your own, this drug can take a person out, either through unconsciousness for a day or so to death if it's given to a person too weakened by what they've been through"

"I see, you're right I am too weak then, I can't walk and can barely eat broth, and even that isn't much"

"Not even half a bowl?"

"No, not yet, but soon hopefully"

"In any case we're with you all the way"

And so recovery for Ravio continued and the next three months saw Ravio regaining the strength to walk once more, Saria being fully healed and finally, two and a half months after Ravio had truly started participating in meetings seeing Nabooru wake up from her coma, though she was annoyed she was at the same stage as the mysterious Ravio in recovery that he had been at, but she also understood that being in a coma meant she would be weakened, though hopefully her status as a Sage allowed her to recover faster than Ravio, who was only just starting to run regularly in attempts to gain the ability to fight with a weapon and be out on the battlefield

"Ravio?"

"Yes Captain?"

"Come with me"

"Yes sir"

The two were soon in the weapons room


	4. Chapter 4

"I want you to pick out a weapon, we're going to see what fits you best and start your training so that when you remember more you can help us out with raiding the place you escaped from, plus in the meantime your vague familiarity with the enemy should help out in the field"

And so Ravio unknowingly goes for the same type of weapon that had the same weight and feel as the Master Sword and after a few swings told the Captain he wanted to try with that weapon. And they soon learned that he was a natural with the weapon

"It's weird, you only just picked up the weapon and after a few moves you're already sparring with me, not at full strength but still..."

"I know what you mean, it's almost as if...as if this weapon is instinctive, like I've used it before, or at least a weapon like this"

"I see, hm...there's another type of weapon I want to test you on"

"Oh?"

"Yes, I need to see if you would also make a decent archer"

It turned out that he was indeed a decent archer, when that was confirmed the Captain went really, really pale

"What is it Captain?"

"It's just...it's just that if not for your age you would be like someone we lost several years ago reborn"

"What was his name?"

The Captain shook his head though

"I'm sorry, it's just...that name is too hard to think about or even speak of most days and today..."

"Understood, I won't push you"

Ravio didn't know it but the hesitancy was because of Royal orders and not the fact that the Captain was too emotional to speak the name. But as soon as he was sure that Ravio was continuing training with other men, men who weren't used to Link and his movements except for the one person overseeing everyone's training while he was away he went straight to Zelda and informed her of Ravio's skills that seemed instinctive or inherent

"I could swear that it was Captain Link standing in front of me again teaching the younger soldiers, and some of the older soldiers the skills of sword or archery"

The King speaks up

"Zelda, do you think that now you can say Link's name in front of Ravio?"

"No, not yet, not until we know more about what he truly remembers from the past four years, if...if he's truly forgotten his own name then I will allow it, but not yet, his memories are too disjointed and coming at a faster rate, I can tell"

"Understood my daughter, however I'm glad that it's not a complete ban unlike..."

"I'm sorry about that dad, we...we just couldn't handle his name being spoken"

"I know...I know"

"In the meantime I might fast track Ravio in regards to his training and getting him in the field"

"Approved Captain, however before you do that I want one last strategy meeting with him before we lose him to the need of the front lines"

"Understood"

Within two weeks Ravio was deemed competent enough to go to the front lines

"Ravio, before you are deployed we want to have one last strategy meeting"

"I understand your highness, your majesty, however there's a rather urgent matter that I feel needs taken care of"

"Oh? I suspect it's in regards to your memories"

"Yes, I no longer need the drug that would be given to me once I'm deemed much more healthy, I remember everything from the past four years, I still have no memories of my name or anything from before my time in captivity but...I remember the layout of the place I escaped, how I escaped, enemy positions, how their magic works, the plans that they made in my presence, the torture that they did to me, even the nine different attempts to kill me with weapons or drugs, actually that ninth attempt is when I escaped and I now realize that my hazy memories of getting to the Lost Woods is in part because of a head injury that resulted in a concussion"

"Which means you weren't exactly thinking or even possibly seeing straight"

"Exactly Princess Zelda"

The soldier from the unknown (to Ravio) place spoke up

"Princess Zelda, use my men and I for this task, we owe it to you for...for what we did almost four and a half years ago"

"I see..."

Everyone could tell that Zelda was thinking about something more than just what had been offered and then she nodded

"I'll allow it Captain, but I'm sending more than just Ravio with you, this by no means completely makes up for what you did to Link, but...maybe both sides can get closure regarding his death, even if you never actually find his body you might find out what they did to Link, where they might have hopefully ultimately buried him, and thus you can possibly bring him home like you intended to do all those years ago, and again even if you don't ever find his body just finding out what they did to him might give both sides the closure that's been needed for a long, long time"

Everyone in the know looked nervously at Ravio but with the fact that he had no obvious reactions to Link's name they knew they could relax about it

"Understood Princess Zelda, it's only natural you would want some of your own men on the raid"

And so the group was decided in regards to the Hylian troops going with Ravio and Ravio thus led the soldiers to where he had been held captive for four years. Ultimately the group found the place abandoned but with evidence still left behind proving that Ravio had been there. Ravio would be upset about finding out that he hadn't been the only prisoner there and that they had managed to kill that person while he somehow managed to survive, they also discovered that there were several bases that the group could have fled to which would take time to search

"I'm sorry guys, I failed you"

"No Ravio, you didn't, we didn't exactly get the closure we wanted or hoped for, but these journals prove that Link was here and that they killed him shortly after his arrival, as for where they buried him they only say that he was buried in the desert, they also described what they did to him before they killed him which is worse than what we ever did"

"Come, we need to report back to the Princess and make plans from there"

"Understood"

And so the group heads back to Hyrule and the castle but this time they were stopped for three days due to a sandstorm, fortunately they had means of letting Zelda know about the delay so that she wouldn't get too worried when they didn't report back in when they were originally supposed to

"You said you had news?"

"Yes Princess Zelda, I regret to inform you that we are unable to return Link's body home, however we have confirmed that the group that held Ravio is potentially at another base seeing as how the one we raided has been abandoned and that they killed Link and buried him some where's in the desert"

"I see...thank you for this information, my people will look over the journals for any further useful information, in the meantime everyone that is from Hyrule has a mandatory four days off"

"But..."

"No Lieutenant, you need a break after all the travel you've been through, you may not have been in a fight as we anticipated but you were still gone for some time and did a lot of traveling and I'm certain that being stopped by a sandstorm for three days didn't help in regards to supplies. I'm willing to bet some if not all of you are pretty hungry"

The Captain of the other group speaks up

"My men are stood down for an equal amount of time because Princess Zelda is right our supplies got dangerously low and I'm certain that some of you tried to sneak Ravio extra rations a time or two "

"Oh, what's this all about?"

"Princess Zelda, the soldiers are talking about the fact that they tried to see if I could eat more than half a bowl through eating a smaller bowl at shorter intervals between meals, they even tried adding bread to the meal, but after one attempt that was stopped Captain because I became violently ill"

"So...you're still only at half a bowl then, but..."

"We suspect that my body is simply too used to that amount, but...maybe if we try adding herbs that are known to settle stomachs that might work because in all honesty I _do_ need to start eating more"

"And we can gradually ween you off those herbs and go from there"

"Exactly"

The doctor spoke up

"Plus that ways we'll be able to start you off on solids sooner as well"

"Okay, let's try it, and maybe...I'm beginning to wonder if part of it is mental"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, I was tortured and starved on a regular basis, maybe...maybe I can't handle more than half a bowl still because I'm telling myself that the food is either bad or that I won't have much for long anyways"

"They made you sick on a regular basis with that torture"

"Exactly"

"Then I guess we're going to have to do a two-pronged attack on the issue, mental and physical issues will be dealt with at the same time"

"That might be what's best"

"I also...I want to see if we can't help you remember your lost time somehow"

"You know how unlikely that is after all this time"

"True, but I still want to try, Ravio I know for a fact that you lament the fact that all you can remember is pain and fear until you escaped"

"I also lament the fact that I know I cause you pain through the fact that I don't even know my own real name, you look at me like...like I remind you of someone you lost"

"You do look like Captain Link but...he's dead and we've come to accept that, the reason we are in pain from you not knowing your name isn't because of your similarities to Captain Link but the fact that because you don't even know your own name we have no means of contacting family to let them know that you're actually alive, seeing as how they've probably thought you dead for a long, long time"

"Oh..."

"In any case I think it might be a good idea if you talk to the other Sages Ravio, hear their stories of Link, though I will warn you now that Nabooru isn't as far in her recovery as she would like and as such might be a bit...temperamental"

"Very well, this part of time off?"

"Yes actually"

"Understood"

And so over the next four days Ravio relaxed and simply talked to the Sages who had a difficult time talking to Ravio without thinking about Link but they managed to talk to him well enough and share their memories of Link


	5. Chapter 5

"He must have been an amazing person"

"Yes, both on and off the field, we considered him a very good friend, though even after...well after some events Ruto still jokes...joked with Link about being engaged, but it was all in good fun and both sides knew it"

"You miss him more than what you allow yourselves to show"

"Yes, we do, up until recently we didn't even say his name out right and got angry at those who did"

Nabooru speaks up

"I struggled with the fact that his name was actually being spoken at first when I initially woke up from the coma but then...then I admitted that I had started to say his name privately amongst the Gerudo two years earlier"

"So the struggle was more about being more public about it than actually saying his name"

"Exactly"

"In any case I'm probably going to be sent out to the front lines soon"

"Before you do I want to do some light sparring"

"Nabooru..."

"It's okay Saria I think I'm strong enough for a light spar now"

"If it gets too much I'm stopping it"

"Understood Darunia"

"Let me guess, you'll get between us?"

"Exactly"

"Agreed, it's needed quite frankly"

"How so?"

"Easy Nabooru, you might not acknowledge your limits and I don't know them having never sparred against you before so I wouldn't know myself when to call it"

"Safety"

"For both sides"

And so the two go for a light spar and Darunia did have to get between the two fighters because as Ravio thought he didn't know what Nabooru's limits were and Nabooru, wanting to get back into the fight as quickly as she could decided to push herself and went too far

"Okay guess you're done Nabooru because I'm still good to go"

"Yeah...reached my limit a bit ago actually, just didn't say anything and did my best not to show anything either"

"I see"

"In any case, Darunia and I are probably going to be going to the front lines soon while Impa stays behind"

"I want to go too"

"No Saria, you're still not recovered enough for battle, besides you'll be able to keep Nabooru from overdoing it by staying with her"

"Very well, however I can't stay with her for a few days"

"Oh, that letter that arrived while Ravio was delayed by the sandstorm"

"Yeah, I need to go home for a little bit to take care of what was in the message"

Zelda walks in just then

"That's perfectly fine Saria, you see I'm not sending Ravio out to the front lines immediately, instead I want him guarding the town for a couple of weeks so that he can get to know the people in case trouble hits whenever he's here seeing as how father and I have decided we're going to rotate soldiers continually between guarding the town, being on the battlefield and simply resting"

"I see, guess that makes sense"

"I should warn you however Ravio, the people will mistake you for Captain Link, even though they know he's long since died your similarities to him will have them confused, ignore it"

"I understand, your soldiers...they act odd around me at times and I think that similarity to a Captain I have never and will never meet as far as I'm aware is the reason behind that"

"It is, it indeed is the reason behind that reaction"

"Why?"

"Do you remember when you were being assessed?"

"Yes, it was strange, I could use a sword and spar almost instantly and then when I used a bow and arrow the Captain that assessed me...he went so pale I thought he would faint and then said that it was almost as if I was someone reborn but they refused to say the name of that person due to...it wasn't due to pain was it?"

"Not entirely no, at the time they were under orders not to say Link's name in front of you, so as to prevent as much confusion as possible"

"Because of my amnesia"

"Yes, because of your amnesia, we didn't..."

"You didn't want me to think I was this Captain Link when it is impossible"

"Yes"

"I understand, and you were right to do so Princess Zelda, those days...there was so much confusion I might have started thinking I was this deceased Captain causing even more pain to everyone"

"So you're not angry?"

"No, I'm glad you thought of my own well being as well as your people's"

"Thank you Ravio, now then you'll start doing patrol in the town tomorrow, for now I want you by my side, well okay actually you'll be by my father's side in uniform since you'll be formally inducted today and all soldiers inducted stay near the throne their first day so that the usual guards for my father and I can recognize our own in case of an emergency"

"I see...but wouldn't it make more sense for my induction to be tomorrow since the day's already half over with?"

Zelda looks up at the sky and realizes that Ravio was correct

"Looks like I need to talk to dad about the plans"

Suddenly though everyone stiffened and Zelda knew that her father was behind her and so she turned around and nodded her head

"Hey dad, um..."

"I was wondering where you were Zelda, when I realized what time I sent you to talk to Ravio regarding his induction I went to stop you but it was already too late, a few more recruits are surprisingly ready for their induction tomorrow too so it works out best to do it then, that is if Ravio agrees"

"I do your Majesty"

"Then tomorrow at dawn everyone shall be inducted at the same time"

"I shall be ready sire"

"I know, now then I shall leave you to it, however Zelda you need to show him his new uniform and how to put it on, seeing as how I know for a fact that you snuck out onto the front lines recently despite me expressly forbidding it dressed as a soldier, you're lucky Impa and Darunia were also there"

"That's why I did it dad, they needed me out there and sneaking out as I did was the only way for me to do so"

"Hm...I don't believe you about that but if they agree with you than I'll reduce your punishment"

"Understood dad"

"Where are they anyways I could have sworn I heard their voices in here earlier?"

"Um...don't know"

"I'll talk to them both later, or at the very least Impa, in the meantime you know what you have to do"

"I know dad"

And so while Ravio was taught how to put on his uniform an assassination plot was being finalized

"Are you certain we should do this on the day soldiers are to be sworn into service?"

"It's actually perfect, you see their guard is slightly down when that happens because the soldiers all have to know who is friend and foe, as such they are not as alert as usual for people coming to and from the castle to seek an audience with the King or Princess"

"Wait, why?"

"Because there are times when the soldiers report to their King or Princess in civilian clothing for whatever reason"

"Testing the soldiers then"

"Exactly"

"Then tomorrow it is then"

And so the next day five other soldiers were inducted at the same time as Ravio and Ravio was given the honor of being at the King's side first while the rest were tested on various things including the new soldiers being in civilian clothing. There were more experienced soldiers standing to the side to let Ravio know when the petitioners were real and when they weren't and so initially he was fine when two actual petitioners came into the room and started talking


	6. Chapter 6

"...and so your Majesty, what we require is that an agreement regarding commissioned work for both groups be made out so that it's fair for both sides. We agree that one cannot do all the work alone and yet we're unsure of what is actually fair considering the amount that is to be payed"

"He's right your majesty, we also are having trouble regarding making a decision regarding if the two groups should be mixed together for this commission seeing as how..."

The two continue to explain the full situation when suddenly Ravio, who had been doing a general scan of the room suddenly noticed that the one petitioner was acting off and so payed much more attention to that person and then suddenly without warning was in front of the King and Princess with his sword out and speaking at the same time

"Watch out your Majesties!"

Ravio managed to deflect the dagger the first time but as soon as the person faced Ravio completely he knew that he was in for the fight of his life

"So, you think you can protect the King huh? I challenge you one on one, my dagger verses your sword"

"Very well"

And so the fight was one, everyone wondered why the attacker would want such a handicap as to remain with their dagger but they soon found out. The attacker was a master at wielding the dagger and Ravio was having a hard time keeping up. Eventually when Ravio blocked the dagger with his sword he misjudged where to deflect his blow and the dagger landed deep in his shoulder and into a wooden chair putting him out of the fight, but his comrades took the attacker down right afterwords. Everyone had been shocked at seeing Ravio in action because all of those who remembered him saw Captain Link in Ravio, primarily through his observation skills and quick reaction to the situation because no one had even noticed that the King's life was in danger until Ravio was blocking the dagger with his sword, Ravio may have gotten hurt but just like Link would have he took the injury himself instead of letting his liege get hurt in his presence

"Ravio, are you okay?"

"I will be your Majesty, though it looks like I won't be able to be on the front lines for longer than initially expected"

"Indeed, your rotation in the town is also to be delayed until that should er heals"

"Aw man, and I need that rotation to begin"

"Don't worry, you'll probably be able to be on the rotation sooner than what you think due to various reasons and in the meantime you'll still be payed soldiers pay, after all you were injured in the line of duty"

"Understood, what about the other soldiers that were inducted on the same day?"

"They'll also be tested, though hopefully not like you were, and actually you'll be part of that test too, as an injured soldier giving a report from the battlefield"

"Wait...that's doable?"

"Yes, the wound doesn't appear so serious that you'll faint from blood loss, but you _will_ have to take it easy until we call you in to play your part"

"Understood, are there any lines I should learn?"

"Yes actually, let me get the soldier who will tell them to you"

And so Ravio acted as an injured soldier just reporting in from the battlefield and having been injured getting out to get reinforcements, he also showed proof of his status as an emergency courier since there were trained couriers in the military and recognized through certain items and clothing. Once his part of training was over with Ravio wound up being forced to remain in the infirmary during his recovery period due to his wound getting infected despite the wound care he had been receiving

"Okay, I'm wondering if your captors did something to make sure that wounds got infected"

"Don't think they did, but who knows"

"In any case you're cleared for duty Ravio"

And so Ravio reports in and is told his section that he was to patrol that day, which was a small area, but that was to make sure that his shoulder was indeed recovered because the doctor knew that Ravio could be hiding how bad it still was and besides that the area Ravio was patrolling was actually an area that was taken over twice a year by soldiers to test recruits and those newly inducted to see how they handled civilians with various problems, this time it would be a third time for Ravio specifically since he missed the training, this was because while inductions were not necessarily only once a year the soldiers didn't want to interrupt civilian lives too much and so either rotated the sections or only did the test twice a year depending on various factors, but this time an exception was made due to what had happened the day of the induction of several soldiers including Ravio, and the civilians in that section understood, in fact five of them had been in the castle that day for their own reasons and had seen the attack on the King and the soldier who had stopped it. In either case the soldiers themselves would know what to look for in regards to Ravio hiding an injury and so during the day Ravio dealt with various scenarios and everyone could tell that Ravio's shoulder wasn't quite as healed up as expected, but they also realized that Ravio wasn't just ignoring it to ignore it, he _genuinely_ didn't realize that his shoulder was still injured enough to warrant light duties instead of the full duties they had been told he was to undertake

"Soldier, you're hurt, worse than what you think I should add"

"How would you know ma'am? I am certain you haven't seen me around before"

"True, but I have seen other soldiers and can tell the signs"

"I see..." (frowns) "I shall get that looked at as soon as I can then, in the meantime is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No not at the moment"

"Understood, now then I must continue my patrol for the day but thank you for informing me about this so that I don't make things worse...it's my shoulder correct?"

"Yes"

And so once the day was over Ravio turned himself over to the medics care once again and they soon discovered together why his shoulder hadn't given any signs that it wasn't fully healed to the point it should have been, it turned out that the damage had been a bit more severe than the doctor had expected in regards to muscle tissue, and the scarring hadn't helped matters either, but because his range of motion hadn't apparently been affected the damage wasn't immediately noticed

"Will I ever be healed enough for full duty?"

"Yes, now that I know what's wrong I can take steps to allow you to heal the rest of the way for full duty, however I warn you that you're more likely to get arthritis earlier and thus be forced into retirement sooner than you would wish, plus you might have issues in cold weather in the meantime meaning you'll have to be careful with that arm during winter and do special exercises to minimize potential damage"

"I understand"

And so Ravio was put on light duties while recovering though that mainly just meant having another soldier with him in case of trouble. It also meant not being on the front lines yet but he was okay with that due to Nabooru needing his help to get back into shape

"You know, I think that shoulder of yours is finally recovered"

"The doctor thinks so too, but his Majesty and Princess Zelda both agree I need to be on light duties and in the palace for another week to make sure before I'm finally sent to the front lines like I should have been at least two weeks earlier"

"Or more, in any case when you go back I'm also going to go back, it's time I get back in the fight properly"

"Very well"

And so a week later and Nabooru and Ravio were going off to the battlefield along with several other soldiers who were rotating to relieve the soldiers currently at a post, soldiers that had been there for far too long in everyone's mind

"Ravio, while you are not a Captain and are in fact the lowest ranking soldier you are to be in charge of the journey to your post"

"Your Majesty?"

"You know the area much better than everyone but Nabooru, for it is a path you have traveled at least twice now"

"My escape...we journey through there?"

"For part of the way yes, as such you are to lead the men as safely as possible"

"Understood Sire"

"Once you are at your assigned location the Captain will once more be in charge"

"As is right, actually Sire while I understand I am to be in charge of the group during travel I wish the Captain to have equal authority, in case there's trouble on the way the soldiers are more used to obeying his orders than mine"

"Granted, I shall let him know, but I still want you in charge of the journey as the guide"

"I understand"

And so the next day the group was ready to leave with the Captain understanding his orders, but he took Ravio aside still just to make sure that Ravio and he were on the same page

"Ravio, are you sure you want to co-lead?"

"It's for the best, not only because of my rank but because of the fact that due to everything that's happened these soldiers don't know me that well and may hesitate to obey my orders because of that fact, as their Captain..."

"They know that any order I give is for a reason"

"Exactly, besides if we were to get separated somehow..."

"I see your point because I also know where we're supposed to be stationed"

"Exactly"

"Okay then I understand, just know that I still think I shouldn't be in charge at all, but I _do_ see your point, and depending on what happens during battle I will be asking you for advice"

"Understood"

And so the group heads out, everyone wondering what would happen on the way there, with the Captain and Ravio being extra cautious, and the soldiers wondering why Ravio was in charge in the first place

"Captain..."

"If you're wondering why Ravio's in charge it wasn't entirely my decision but the King's, as such I decided not to question his orders"

"Understood sir"

As it turned out Ravio's precautions proved worthwhile because the group was attacked by shadow enemies that were hard to fight off, _and_ the group was separated as well with the Captain being in charge of half the group and Ravio being forced to take charge of the other half through the orders of the Captain that had been given repeatedly during their journey so far

"Ravio, you're in charge"

"Right, I need a reference point but I can get us to where we're supposed to be safely once I know where we are, or at the very least get us back to the castle"

As it turned out they were actually pretty close to where they were supposed to be going and so Ravio led the group there within a day and a half and discovered that the Captain and the rest of the group hadn't arrived yet

"I see...who's in charge of the unit here?"

"That would be me"

"What is the plan then Captain? I was only supposed to be in charge until we arrived here per the King's orders, but without the Captain and half of our group..."

"I see your point, you're supposed to be relieving us but with half your forces not here this position will be hard to hold, wait...where's Nabooru, wasn't she supposed to come with you?"

"We got separated from Nabooru long before we got separated from the Captain and the others, she decided to play diversion early on in the journey here"

"Let me guess your Captain wasn't very happy about that"

"Nope, but she outranks him technically and so she simply did what she wanted to do"

"I see...in either case we're in a dilemma here where we really need to go home but we can't leave you guys here with only half a force"

"Yeah, from what I've heard about him even your Captain Link wouldn't have allowed that"

"Yeah...he was pretty touchy about that kind of thing if you ask me, the one and only time one of the soldiers decided to leave with only half the force available at a site...well the results weren't pretty"

Another soldier snorts

"Not pretty? I do believe that's an understatement Captain, that soldier was publicly punished and was stripped of his rank being busted down to recruit, last I heard he only just managed to get back into the middle ranks right before Ravio showed up"

"Oh...I forgot you were there for that"

"Only because I was one of the witnesses called as one of the soldiers left behind"

"Forgot about that...wait, why haven't you become a Captain soldier?"

"My decision Captain, I...well the Princess and King understand why I'm just below you in rank Captain and respect my decision"

"Understood, in either case we have to deal with the situation before us now"

"Right"

Eventually it was decided that the less wounded of the members would remain behind for another week while waiting to see if the Captain and the rest of the men would arrive while the rest would be sent home along with a message regarding what was known


	7. Chapter 7

"Hopefully we come across the Captain or a messenger from him with information as well"

"Agreed"

And so they execute the plan, fortunately what no one at the location knew was that the Captain and the others had managed to defeat their enemies and also reunited with Nabooru and were heading to their post, though it would take another two and a half days. Everyone was relieved that the other half of the group had managed to make it to the location safely and those that had stayed behind were relieved of the duties they had remained at and were very glad to be going home

"We'll leave the rest to you and Ravio Captain, though it's strange, seeing Ravio in action..."

"Reminds you of Captain Link, if you were ever fortunate enough to serve with him anyways, I know, I've felt it too, most have, but Ravio is Ravio and Captain Link is Captain Link, we lost Captain Link a long time ago now but his memory will always live on in us"

"You're right, but still I wish..."

"I know, but we now know why we never had that part of closure, it's its own form of closure in a way I guess"

"Wait what?"

"Basics are that his body was stolen from his killers, though apparently he wasn't actually dead, his new captors killed him and buried him some where's in the desert, we don't know where though so..."

"No chance of ever having a body to bury"

"Exactly, Ravio...Ravio was upset about never having known about Captain Link"

"You heard about that mission Captain?"

"Yes Ravio I did"

"If I had known about him..."

"I'm positive that you would have done something sooner and made sure that the Captain came home, even if it was only long enough to say goodbye to everyone, or possibly just bringing his remains home for burial"

"Yes I would have indeed done that"

"In any case you guys that stayed behind for the group need to head home, we'll take things from here"

And so the patrol started normal but then one day while Ravio was taking a turn he suddenly nocked an arrow into the bow he had been given by the King and that action brought the Captain over

"Ravio?"

"Trouble"

"What kind?"

"The kind that's going to be hard to beat since we can't even see the enemy"

"Then how do you know...wait are you able to sense them?"

"Not...exactly, but look at the horizon, doesn't it seem odd?"

The Captain looks and notices what Ravio had noticed

"Can we use that cloud to our advantage?"

"Nope"

"Got it"

"Wait why not?"

"Simple guys, that cloud is about to disappear in 3...2...1...now"

As soon as Ravio told them the cloud would disappear it did and Ravio had also fired an arrow at the same time he said the cloud would disappear, and then arrows started flying towards them, fortunately they managed to doge _that_ volley but everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before they started losing people. Ravio decided to lead the charge despite the fact that the Captain had given everyone strict orders to stay at the wall until his signal

"Captain! Ravio's..."

"Obeying his own separate and special orders, orders that I gave him the night we first arrived here"

"Wait, _what?!_ , why does _he_ get special orders?, is it because...?"

"No, it's not because of that, it's due to the fact that he's the only one who's managed to escape from them and seen their tactics first hand enough to know how to fight them to a degree...we keep taking on losses because of our lack of knowledge against the enemy. He's to weaken them some hopefully and then allow us to fight them, the King and Princess are thinking that eventually they'll just fight us out in the open if we learn from this fight and figure out tactics that work against their abilities"

_First night at station_

"Alright everyone, here's my orders regarding any fights that we might get into at this post, we stay at the walls until I give the signal, no one is to simply rush forward and fight solo, you're also to not use your bows and arrows unless you're _absolutely_ sure of getting in a hit, we don't have the arrows to spare"

"Understood"

Later that night Ravio was taking his turn on watch when he heard someone come up behind him, and when he turned he saw his Captain

"Captain what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you Ravio"

"My shift..."

"I know, but there's another man on shift as well per my orders and I told him I needed to talk to you so he's going to do a roving patrol until our conversation is over"

"Fine"

When they were in a private area Ravio spoke up

"What's wrong Captain?"

"It's in regards to the orders I gave earlier today"

"Don't worry Captain I'll obey them I promise"

"That's just it, I _don't_ want you to obey those orders"

"Captain?..."

"Those orders are specifically for the rest of the men, instead I'm giving you separate, very necessary orders"

The Captain sighs heavily after saying that and Ravio simply stayed quiet

"Listen and listen well Ravio, you're the only person known to have survived against these enemies alone, as it is we get decimated almost every time we fight against them, though the decimation isn't as bad as it could be in some ways I guess it's still pretty bad. I know that you have general orders to observe the enemy and help in battle whenever possible, but the King decided to give me orders that essentially meant telling you that you're our first line of defense against these guys, if we can figure out a way to fight them while invisible..."

"It could save lives"

"Exactly, but this comes at a great risk to you, as such while I am ordering you to be the first person out the gates so to speak I urge you to use common sense and caution, if something feels wrong during the fight retreat back to safety _immediately_ and we'll try and figure something else out, the orders about your arrows stand though"

"I understand and it makes sense, though...can I use an arrow if I spot them as a warning that there's someone here ready to defend the area?"

"Sure just..."

"Just make sure to make it count somehow, I got it"

"Very good, now then back to your station Ravio, there's a lot of work to be done"

"Right"

And so that's exactly what Ravio does

_Present_

"In any case, we'd best be ready for Ravio to potentially fall back or manage to force the enemy out into the open even if only temporarily"

The battle wouldn't be won or lost that day ultimately, instead while Ravio did manage to get the enemy to appear briefly the enemy immediately retreated and Ravio went back to the others wounded but alive


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Captain, sorry...about..."

Ravio went unconscious before he could finish but it was quickly determined that it was more exhaustion related than wound related

"I wonder what he's apologizing for"

"Hm...I think I have an idea but will talk to him about it later"

"When he's not only conscious but coherent?"

"Exactly"

The next two days were tense but finally Ravio was not only awake but coherent

"Hey Captain"

"Hey Ravio, you knocked yourself out for two days"

"Yeah, that's part of what I was apologizing about when I passed out"

"Oh, I thought it was about the enemy"

"That too actually, we didn't...we didn't really get a chance to discover weaknesses or what might force them to reveal themselves to actually fight"

"It's okay Ravio, we will at some point I promise, plus if we annoy them enough the enemy will probably just start outright fighting us without using their abilities"

"That the Royal plan?"

"Got a better idea?"

"No just...concerned that there could be more loss of life than what their Majesties are thinking of"

"Um, why are you including Princess Zelda in the higher rank?"

"That's...that's because of what happened while I was recovering from my shoulder injury initially, you'll have to ask the King and Princess for more details because I don't think I can talk about it"

"Understood"

"In any case we still have a long time before we're rotated"

"Yeah, let's hope more battles go better"

Three months later and everyone was ready for the rotation to be over with because they had been in several battles which got them closer to the enemy simply fighting out in the open but they weren't there yet and everyone knew it, but they also knew that it was time to go home for rest and recovery

"Once we get back the King will formally stand us down and tell us how long we're off duty"

"Except in an emergency?"

"Except in an emergency yes"

Five hours later they finally saw their relief coming and once full debriefs are done they head home and are back within three days

"Welcome back everyone"

"Thank you your Majesty, my full report is written down but you should know that while we're not at the point of the enemy simply fighting us out in the open we have finally managed to make the enemy appear in almost every battle thanks primarily to Ravio, I've tried to spread the information to the rest of the army but..."

"I understand, in any case everyone is to stand down for at least a month before you will be given new orders, except for Ravio, you're being stood down for two months, it appears that both the Gorons and the Zora both want you with them for a month each for some reason or another"

"But why should I have two months when..."

"Easy Ravio, the time off is a case to case basis dependent on a lot of factors that as King I am more aware of than you are"

"He's right Ravio, there are going to be soldiers who for their own reasons _won't_ accept more than a month off of duty to be with their families"

"Understood Captain, your Majesty did the Gorons and Zora's mention why they wanted me a month each?"

"Not in precise words but...I know their reasons well enough and accept them"

"So, when will this start?"

"Two days from now you'll start with the Gorons"

"Very well"

"In the meantime as stated you are all relieved of duty for at least a month to spend with your families, Ravio we _do_ need to discuss your living situation while you're here over the next two days"

"Actually I was wondering when we would do exactly that your Majesty, I think...I think it's time I found myself a place of my own. I am grateful for your hospitality and the ability to live in the castle but I feel like I need my own space that isn't so grand, maybe in the barracks or a small place in town"

"We've found a place for you to look at that isn't the barracks while you were away, we had a feeling that once you were more recovered and not stationed at the castle you would either want your own place or request to live in the barracks"

"But how?"

"You're too much like Captain Link at times, we could tell that you were beginning to feel uneasy living in the castle, but you also knew that you had to during your rotation at the one section in town due to proximity"

"I wish I had met him, like I already told the Sages he sounds like a great person, and our personalities seem pretty similar too"

"Yes, that's part of what's hard for the soldiers at times even though we've accepted his death"

"I see...by the way what about our mysterious allies that claimed to have captured and killed Captain Link? I mean thought they had killed the Captain until they found out different"

"They had to go home, and unfortunately can't send more reinforcements at this time due to trouble with another country that so far hasn't escalated but sending any more soldiers out might change that even if they head in the opposite direction"

"Understood, so...when are we visiting this place?"

"Tomorrow, you're still staying at least one last night here in the castle"

"Understood"

The next day Ravio is lead to his potential new place and ultimately decides that it would be better for him to live in the barracks, this wasn't because the location was a bad location but he looked at the entire area and realized that if he were to receive sudden orders a soldier in uniform might panic people

"I'm going to live in the barracks, the place is nice and a good location but...might cause panic at some point your Majesties"

"How so?"

"Did you...have you seen this location?"

"Yes we thoroughly...oh, okay now I get it, he's right dad, we shouldn't have chosen this place"

"Why? I thought...oh yeah you're right you two, sorry Ravio we weren't thinking about that aspect"

"It's okay, it looked good from your viewpoint and in all honesty if it wasn't for the area I would be accepting this place as home"

"Understood, in any case this place will be free for someone else since we didn't start making payments while you were away, we wanted you to decide first before paying for the place initially until you were more established in your pay and where you were keeping it"

"Got it"

And so Ravio was quickly and easily moved into the barracks, the hardest part for everyone had been the fact that he had been Captain Link's old room. That room hadn't been touched since Link had originally been sent off to fight their now allies and as such not only was it dusty but still filled with what little personal affects that Link had collected during his time in the military


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh...I...I forgot we haven't touched this room in so long, if you want we can clean it up and remove Captain Link's things"

"No...no for some reason I...I feel that these things belong here, like Captain Link's spirit is watching over me, I'll simply dust things off myself Princess Zelda, after all I do understand why you haven't touched this room in so long"

"Thanks for understanding and...if at any point you get to the point where you don't want Captain Link's things in your room we'll put them in storage like where they should have been a long time ago"

"Understood, but I don't think that will happen"

The next day Ravio went to the Goron village and would stay there for a month and while he never gained the Brother status Link had he did gain friends, close friends at that

"Do you have to go Ravio?"

"Yes Link, it's time for me to go to the Zora's for a month just like I spent a month with you guys, and I think I finally understand why you both want a month each with me, it's a chance to get to know me outside of the battlefield to make fighting together easier, plus it allows you the chance to decide if I'm worthy of being called brother or not at this point in time"

"Yes, you're not worthy of that title, then again..."

"Not many foreigners are afforded that right correct?"

"Yeah, Brother Link was one of the few that earned that right"

"Dad?"

"Yes Link?"

"Why did Big Brother Link have to go away?, and why hasn't he come back yet?"

Everyone stilled at that because that was a conversation that had long been avoided around the younger Gorons especially Link, not only because it involved his namesake but because everyone felt that they were simply too young to truly understand what was going on at the time. The Gorons were also having issues saying Link's name whenever they were referring to Hylian Link due to Darunia's issues with that name, and the only reason they knew that there were serious issues was because Darunia hadn't even said his own son's name whenever he talked about or to Link and while Link had quickly realized something was up with his name he didn't know the full extension

"Link..."

"Don't say I'm too young dad, you've done that for almost five years now"

Darunia sighs at hearing that

"You're right Link, it's time for you to know the full truth. Once I'm back from safely escorting Ravio to the Zora's I'll tell you everything you want and need to know regarding the loss of Brother Link"

"Darunia are you certain that..."

"Yes brother, I'm certain"

"Very well, maybe you're right and it's time that your son learn more about the loss of Brother Link"

The journey to the Zora's domain was quick and the month spent there was well spent and again Ravio made friends with the Zora's but he could tell once again that the friendship would never be as deep with him as it had been for Captain Link or even the Royal Family

"Is it because of my resemblance to the late Captain?"

"No it's...it's more than that, your resemblance doesn't help much but there's also the fact that you haven't _learned_ about us and our ways well, Link...Link did his best to immerse himself in all cultures he knew he would have regular contact with and we respected him for it. As you know Ruto joked about being engaged to Link due to an incident in their childhood but that there were things that caused it to become a joke, one of which was an incident when they were both fifteen. Princess Zelda and Link were both here for a visit from the Royal Family when he and Ruto were allowed some private time, they went to Jabu-Jabu for some reason and then...well something happened at the area and Ruto and Link were both brought back by Zora's badly injured and while Ruto _can_ have kids it won't be easy and would be best if she mated with another Zora, as for Link...we didn't know it for a long time but he too will have issues ever having children in the future if he ever gets with someone. There were also other things that happened before...well before Captain Link was lost but in either case the engagement between them became a running joke that sometimes helped release tension"

"I see...in either case my two months are nearly up"

"Good point, time to get you back to the castle"

On the way back they meet up with Darunia and learn that his son had finally been told the truth regarding Captain Link's long absence from their presence

"So, he knows the truth now"

"Yes, and he was right it was time for him at least to know the truth"

"So what now?"

"Now we continue fighting for as long as we can against these enemies and hopefully someday win"

"Darunia are you going to..."

"Yes I am Ruto, what about you?"

"Not this time around, primarily because I'm just on escort duty since dad's sick and I need to take care of the Kingdom while he's recovering"

"Got it"

Once back at the castle Ravio was told he was being given one more month off primarily due to a training issue while he was away and since his next rotation was to involve training he needed to wait until the issue was completely resolved before being allowed back on duty. In the meantime he finally visited Captain Link's grave alongside Darunia

"You know I never visited his grave while here"

"Don't blame you, between not knowing him and quite frankly not knowing where his body was you wouldn't of suspected that there was a grave for him here, it's mainly just a grave marker but..."

"It gives you a form of closure"

"Yes, it does"

Ravio kneels before the grave marker

"I may not have known you Captain Link, and I'll most likely never be the man you were or attain your rank but...I swear I'll do what I can for Hyrule, just as you did, and if I should die in battle to keep Hyrule going...then so be it"

The next month off was mainly spent with Ravio doing maintenance training and simply getting to know his way around town now that he was at the barracks full time whenever he wasn't on duty and then it was time for his rotation at the castle which would involve training new recruits, this was because of his innate skills with the sword and bow

"Alright everyone pay attention to Ravio, he may not be of high rank or have served with us for very long, but his skills are as advanced as any soldier who's served for more than three years"

And so Ravio started training the new recruits in basic forms and stances, he even gave tips to the ones who were to primarily be archers

"Listen, adjust your stance like so and release with your breath, and also don't forget to have a second weapon on you at all times"

"Why?"

"Because eventually you'll run out of arrows, either that or the enemy will be too close for you to safely use arrows because you're at risk of hitting your fellow soldiers"

"Either that or they're simply too close to hit due to the arrow not having enough time to reach penetration speed"

Ravio nods

"That too, but in either case you're going to want to make sure to have a secondary weapon on hand, either a dagger or a short sword most likely"

"What about you Ravio?"

"It's strange I can wield this sword or a bow and arrow equally, neither hinder me in their position. In any case you'll also have sword training once we feel you're ready"

"Ravio's right, once we feel you're ready we'll start training you with the blade, and we'll make sure that it's the right type of blade for you as well"

"Why does blade type matter?"

"Balance, if you're off balance constantly when you fight you're going to get yourselves killed, and quickly at that"

"Indeed, now then..."

Suddenly Ravio stopped talking, but this was because warning bells had sounded and those that weren't raw recruits knew what the bells meant because different tones and lengths signaled different problems and the ones they were hearing meant the most dire of issues

"Everyone is to stay inside the training barracks, there will be soldiers already trained with you, in the meantime Ravio and I have to get to our posts due to the bells, now go"

And so the two main trainers head to their posts but then Ravio realized he would have to leave his post, however that would not mean he would get in trouble for disobeying orders, this was because of the fact that between his likeness to Captain Link in so many ways including self-sacrifice and the fact that he was the best person against the enemy still he had been given standing orders once he returned from patrol that if he felt he could take the enemy on and force them back, or if he noticed civilians in his vicinity in trouble then he was allowed to act on his own accord to deal with the issue. And not only had he noticed the enemy getting a bit too close to the castle, he also saw an opportunity to force the enemy into a long retreat into flanking troops out in Hyrule field, though he didn't do it alone, as he pushed the enemy back other soldiers joined him in that push


	10. Chapter 10

"Ravio, try and push them to the west side of the town!"

"But!..."

"Trust us, there's a plan"

"Okay, I'll do my best, have archers on the rooftops in case some of the group doesn't go with the plan you're working on"

"Got it"

As it turned out the archer precaution was indeed needed. And while Ravio was fighting a soldier that soldier said something that was cryptic yet revealing at the same time

"So...they call you Ravio do they? I guess this means that you haven't regained your memories"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying any more regarding that, but let's just say that there's a reason you don't know who you truly are"

"Oh I know, there's a drug that was used on me, but I remember the four years of captivity"

"Ah...but is that _all_ there was?, later... _Ravio_ "

Once the enemy was beyond the borders of the town the soldiers gathered around Ravio who was in obvious shock

"Ravio? Ravio what is it?"

"They...they insinuated that my amnesia...that it's not just from drugs that they gave me, they also insinuated that they know my true identity"

"Did they give any clues?"

"Beyond the fact that they revealed to me that they did something to me that has kept my memories from before the four years of captivity hidden from me somehow with more than just drugs no"

"I see...so no real clues about your identity"

"No, that is as lost to me as ever for now, but..."

"You're thinking that if we find a way to reverse what they've done you'll finally learn about your past, and we'll be able to tell your family that you're alive after who knows how long they've thought you lost"

"Exactly"

"We'll find out somehow Ravio, I promise, even if..."

"Even if it's after my death"

"Yes, we owe you that much, for everything you've done for us"

"What...what do you mean?"

"That's for our ruler and his daughter to decide if you should know Ravio, this goes much deeper than just who you look and act like"

"Understood, and again I wish I had met this Captain Link"

"So do we Ravio, so do we, for a lot of reasons"

"I can guess what one of those reasons are, you think we might have gotten along well enough considering our similarities"

"Exactly"

"In any case we now know my amnesia isn't as simple as we thought it was, though that doesn't really help much does it?"

"It might depending on what exactly was done to you to forget everything you ever knew before captivity"

"True, for now though..." (sighs) "I think it's time we got back to the castle to give our reports"

"Agreed"

And so Ravio and his fellow soldier gave their reports separately and when Ravio mentioned that one of the soldiers hinted that there was more to his memory loss than what was first believed everyone was shocked and hopeful that somehow they would find a way to reverse what had happened to Ravio

"We may never fully find out though your Majesties"

"True, but if we do...I think that not only will this bring full closure to you Ravio but to many people who care for you through your own actions"

"I see...I wish for closure too then"

"Hopefully someday soon then"

"Yeah...though did you notice something"

"What?"

"They attacked in the open the entire time"

"That means..."

"Yes, it means that we might be changing the tide of this war finally"

"It would actually be nice to end it soon considering..."

"Yeah, considering"

"Say Ravio...how have you been since you came back from visiting the Gorons and the Zora's?"

"Fine, and I understand now why I was needed at those places, plus I also understand why I'm acting as a trainer while on rotation here"

"That's good, now then everyone's off tomorrow except for minimum patrol, today was hard on everyone and you need the rest"

"Understood"

The next day was indeed relaxing and the day afterwords Ravio helped continue the training until he was told that it was time to go back to the battlefield

"Understood your Majesty, do I have any special orders while out at my post?"

"Yes actually, you see we managed to drive the enemy back to one of the bases you discovered when you found out...found out about Captain Link, you're to take that location if possible and search it for clues leading to you regaining your memories, or if that's not possible find out more about the enemy and how to defeat them once and for all"

"Understood, are my other standing orders when out on the battlefield still in effect?"

"Yes they are"

"Understood"

And so Ravio goes to his post along with a few other soldiers and once there the group does indeed start managing to push the enemy back towards one of the bases that had been discovered when they had found out where Ravio had been kept in captivity

"Ravio, considering the progress do you think you can delay returning?"

"No idea, but probably not, the rotations are scheduled according to need from what I can tell"

"Good point, let's just hope we take that fortress soon then because I can tell we're coming up on it"

"Yeah, there might be answers there too, we're supposed to be looking for a few things according to the King"

"Yeah, I got those orders a while back"

"Good, then you understand why this location is important to me"

"Yes, if we can find a way for you to remember your identity"

"We'll be able to get true closure for me"

"Yes, though still, it might..."

"Yeah, getting there might take more than a month and the location might not have the answers we seek, I know, but I'm always hoping for answers now"

"I'm sure you are, in any case we're resting for a couple of days to resupply and gain our strength once more"

"Good point, that fortress..."

"Exactly"

A week later and the group was almost at the fortress and were in fact fighting to enter it and take care of the enemy in close quarters

"So...think we can push just a little further and actually take the fortress tonight Ravio?"

"No, something...something's changed regarding the enemy and their tactics, it's better to fight in the daylight"

"Understood, I'll tell the men"

"Okay, but soon, soon we'll take that location and see if it holds any useful information"

"Agreed, it's time for you to regain your past Ravio"

"We'll see, we'll see, in any case time for rest and then tomorrow..."

"Yeah"

The next day and the group pushed forwards and after a long fight manages to capture the fortress

"So...we've captured the fortress"

"Yes, but we need to _keep_ it ours now, plus...we need to see if they've left anything useful behind"

"Good point, and I'm guess you're not just talking about in regards to your memories Ravio"

"You'd be correct, anything useful should be found, it might end the war even quicker if we discover weaknesses somehow"

And so the people looked and a day before Ravio was set to transfer to town duty they found a journal, but the journal was in a language that was unknown to them

"Maybe people at home will be able to translate this, what I'm wondering is why you don't have off immediately after this rotation"

"That was my request actually Captain, there's...there's things I feel I have to do but I have to be on rotation in town or the castle"

"Understood"

"In any case, I'll make sure that this journal gets back home safely since I know that everyone else is still supposed to stay here for at least another two weeks"

"Got it"

Three days later and Ravio gave his report and gave the journal over to the King so that he could have his people who were better at languages than he was look at it closer for clues to anything that could help them in any issue that they needed help in


	11. Chapter 11

"In the meantime Ravio you're mainly going to be in the castle this time around and not primarily for training duty, there's...there's events that are scheduled during your rotation and you'll be one of the guards at those events"

"Understood sir, when's the first event?"

"Not until two days from now, for today you rest and then tomorrow you're assigned to the throne room, there are a few recruits ready to take their formal oaths and you'll be one of the observers and helpers with their training in that you'll teach them not to react to every person that comes in"

"Got it, I think I know what you want me to do sir"

"Indeed, though I also want you close in case..."

"In case what happened my first day on duty happens again"

"Exactly"

"Understood sir, let's just hope my reflexes won't be needed"

"Agreed, and while you're to protect me also try and give the rookies a chance to figure out if anything is wrong"

"Yes sir"

The king and Zelda instantly understood that Ravio was nervous about that aspect of his orders

"Ravio...if you truly feel that uncomfortable you can be as close as you want instead of on the sidelines like I originally planned"

"Thank you your Majesty I would prefer that actually"

"Then it's decided"

"In the meantime once your rotation here is done you're going to be on break like you should have been a long time ago, but be advised that if we find anything useful regarding your situation during that time period if it hasn't been discovered during your castle rotation we'll be summoning you and you'll be back on duty rotation until told otherwise"

"I know and understand Princess Zelda"

Ravio goes home to put his things away and simply relax that day before going back on duty, and he knew the only reason he hadn't been put on the break rotation was his own request because he _did_ have to do things as an active soldier, and one of those things was not what the King wanted but what he had realized he needed to do on his own, fortunately he would get the chance the next day since soldiers were on half days when there were recruits taking their formal oaths, this was done deliberately so that the recruits could get used to the more permanent soldiers and learn various other soldiers by face and name just like what had been done when he had been initiated, though he admitted to himself that he hadn't had the chance to fully experience the routine when he had been initiated due to the incident that had happened. The next day however everything while he was on duty went smoothly for the most part, there was one minor incident of two petitioners getting physical with each other but that was quickly broken up by one recruit and another soldier who was more experienced, which helped considering the fact that the recruit got pushed around a bit and almost needed a hand holding his own prisoner and the older soldier had also warned the recruit to duck when a punch was heading his way

"Hey Ravio, I think you can stand down now"

Everyone looked at Ravio who was practically in front of the King and Princess with his hand on his sword hilt, but the sword hadn't been drawn yet, but everyone knew he was simply waiting for the need to strike

"Oh...right, thanks"

Once Ravio's shift was done he started to do what needed to be done as an active soldier that didn't involve training recruits, he instead did the rounds in the town where soldiers were stationed and quietly made sure that they were well armed, he also subtly started teaching civilians what they could do to help themselves and the soldiers. The rest of his time on duty rotation at the castle was indeed spent as a guard for various events, including the fact that their allies that had been forced to leave and not send further help had made a peace treaty with their enemies and both sides had agreed to celebrate the treaty signing in Hyrule. And the newest allies discussed with the King about having an alliance of their own with Hyrule and thus both groups able to help Hyrule end the war even faster if allowed

"No, not at this time anyways, both of you have to settle down regarding the recent fighting and heal before we'll allow any help from either of you, however if you choose to send supplies per a trading agreement I will accept the supplies in lieu of sending soldiers"

"Understood your Majesty, and again...we're sorry for what we did to your soldier all those years ago, and for not protecting his remains in order to return him home to you"

"We know...we know"

"Your Majesty, maybe...maybe we can help in another way, do you have any records or anything that you can't understand?"

"Yes actually, we recently received a journal that has language we can't translate as of yet"

"I'm willing to help"

"As am I"

The next day started his off duty rotation where he was to relax and recuperate from duty, but two weeks into his mandatory three month break he was called to report to the King

"You wished to see me your Majesty?"

"Yes, thanks to our allies we've quickly managed to translate the journal, and it explains what was done to you. Apparently the enemy gave you two different drugs, tortured you regularly and did something that Sage Nabooru recognizes as something she's seen happen in person though she won't explain anything further. The Sages believe they can reverse what was done to you in regards to what Nabooru knows and we'll give you the antidote to the two drugs and hope that works"

"I'm ready whenever you are your Majesty"

"Then come, the antidotes were prepared last night"

And so Ravio is given the two antidotes and then led to a private chamber where the Sages all were

"I shall leave you to it in private then"

"Actually your Majesty, I would prefer it if you stayed"

"Nabooru?"

"You deserve to hear this explanation, besides you can call guards to carry Ravio to the infirmary if needed since we'll most likely be unable to do so ourselves after this is done"

"Then I will stay, but out of the way"

And so the King sits in a chair deliberately put there and the sages lead Ravio to the center of the group and ask him to sit down

"Before we do this I must explain some things to you Ravio, one of which is that all of us will need to go into a meditative state for this to work. The second thing is the background to the technique used to erase your memories, you see in an alternate timeline two witches called Kome and Kotake used a spell to make me Ganandorf's servant for seven years as something called an Ironknuckle, Ganandorf himself killed the King and forced the Princess into hiding and ruled the land for seven long years. A hero called Link, and yes he eventually became Captain Link in this timeline, eventually freed me and defeated the witches who combined and called themselves Twinrova. In any case that spell that put me under their control was what was used on you to a certain degree and since I know the spell as do the Sages through me we can lift it I hope. But be warned that we might not be able to be and thus your memories might still be lost to you, do you still wish to continue?"

"Yes, I'm willing to take that risk"

"Then let us begin"

And so for about an hour they meditate and at the end of the meditation the King realizes why they were in a soundproof room because Ravio screams extremely loudly in pain for almost the entire time and then it's over with. Ravio then stands up while the Sages open their eyes and look at him with Nabooru looking straight at him

"Ravio, are you okay?"

"It...it worked"

He shakily stood up and walked over to the King and then knelt on one knee, and everyone could tell that something was different about this kneel because while _Ravio_ had done this several times since his formal induction into the military he had never had this aura of certainty before regarding his place as a soldier, which everyone thought was because of his memory loss and they would be correct to a degree. Ravio had always felt certain that he was meant to be a soldier but he had also always felt that something about his position in the military was wrong, that instead of being on the front lines as much as he was he was meant to stay back except at need but couldn't do so due to his rank, and now with his memories restored he finally understood why he had felt that ways ever since he had officially become a soldier


	12. Chapter 12

"Your Majesty, I apologize for making a phrase of reporting in long overdue due to my actions in allowing myself to be deliberately captured in order to save my men and will submit to any punishment that you feel is needed, but I Captain Link am reporting in after four years of captivity and memory loss and then the rest of the time here as Ravio, the new recruit who acted like and unknowingly was Captain Link"

"Is it...is it really you Brother Link?"

"Yes brother Darunia, it's me, I'm sorry that I caused you and your people pain, for forcing you to tell your son who was named after me that I was dead when in reality I was simply missing for a time to myself and everyone else"

"Ravio...Captain Link, I'm afraid I need more proof that it's actually you, for you to have been returned to us for about two years without us knowing it is..."

"I understand and will submit to any tests you require to prove my identity"

Two days of intensive testing later and both the King and Zelda knew that Ravio truly was Link, who had been gone and thought dead for a long, long time

"Well then, I think it's time you regained your rank Captain Link, report to me in the morning in your proper uniform which I will have sent to your quarters...am I the only person who thinks it weird that Captain Link has been in his quarters without realizing it was his quarters this entire time?"

"Nope, definitely weird, but it _does_ explain why I never felt the need to change things when I moved in"

"Agreed, you do realize that several people will think that Ravio was given a high promotion through favoritism right?"

"I know Saria, but Link deserves his rank back, and there might be a few people who will make the connection with him in his proper uniform"

"Good point, there _are_ people saying that Ravio is like Link in many ways, and now we know why"

"Indeed, I have acted like my old self without realizing it and caused everyone pain unintentionally when I first arrived and healed enough to join the military, hopefully being back in the proper uniform will help the healing even further with the understanding that I was subconsciously being my true self"

"Yes, and I shall help explain the misunderstanding to not only my son but the others brother Link"

"I shall help with that if I'm allowed to Darunia, after all this wasn't deliberate, you truly thought me dead not knowing the whole truth"

The next day Link came to the front doors of the throne room and one of the soldiers who was standing guard stopped him per orders and also confusion

"Ravio, what are you doing in a Captain's uniform?"

"You'll find out soon enough, now then I believe you were told I have an audience with the King at this time"

The doors open and there's a murmur going through the soldiers, with some of the older soldiers stating that Ravio really looked like Captain Link with the sword and shield on his person. Link had been told in a note the night before when his new uniform was given to him and his weapons returned that the King would initially refer to him as Ravio and Link understood why that had to be

"Ravio, I know you already told me this in private, but for the Court I want you to renew your vows to this Kingdom with your true name, the name you finally remember after so long"

Link's current Captain speaks up

"Ravio, you truly have your memories back?"

"Yes Captain, I remember everything, including the fact that technically speaking I'm an orphan so there is no family to tell about my survival, or at least no _blood_ family to tell about my survival. In that plane of thought your Majesty I request at least two weeks to explain things to my adoptive families"

"Granted, I was planning on doing that when I heard of you regaining your memories"

"Understood"

"Now then Ravio, it's time for you to renew your oath under your true name, and under your true rank as well, thus why I sent that uniform to your quarters"

"Yes it is indeed time for that"

Ravio kneels with his sword in front of him and then says the one thing that shocks many of the older soldiers

"I, Captain Link, hereby swear to my original oaths that I made when I first became a soldier and formally request I be allowed to return to duty as Captain. I understand that I have been away for a long time and have most likely been declared dead but that is not the case, I shall give you the full report later your Majesty, but as you already partially know and understand I lost my memories until yesterday and thus served under the name Ravio"

"Rise Captain Link"

Link gets up and is then hugged by the King

"Welcome back Captain Link, once your two weeks are done with I welcome you back on the battlefield, but you're right that there are two races that _deserve_ an explanation"

"Yeah, and representatives from both are here, all I have to do now is choose which one to visit first"

"Go with Darunia Link"

"Saria, you sure?"

"Yes, I'll explain things to the others especially because they might call you Ravio when they initially see you if you head there first, plus..."

"Saria?"

"It's...it's not something I want to explain at the moment"

"Very well"

And so once the day was over with and all the formalities dealt with Link headed to Death Mountain with Darunia wondering what Saria was keeping from him not knowing that Saria had to be very careful about revealing the truth to the Kokiri due to two incidents shortly after Link as Ravio left the forest, one immediately after when Link first arrived at the castle and another after his initiation into the military when the Kokiri discovered what had happened on his first day as a soldier

_Shortly after Link's arrival to the castle as Ravio_

"Hey Mido, there's a letter from Princess Zelda"

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, it's for you"

And so Mido reads the letter and gets very quiet and solemn

"Mido?"

"I need to be alone for a bit"

Three hours later they would find Mido barely alive having lost a lot of blood, they did what they could and then sent a message to the Castle hoping that if Mido survived Saria would be able to help him heal physically and mentally because of the fact that they found the letter Zelda had sent and it explained his actions in full. Three days later and Saria did arrive and Mido was still alive and so she started helping Mido with the healing process and discovered that Mido wasn't just blaming himself for not realizing that one of Ravio's wounds were infected but also in regards to the fact that he thought the way he had treated Link was one of the reasons why he hadn't come back very often after he'd left the forest at such a young age and thus had to help in regarding that guilt. A while later they discovered that Ravio had joined the military but had been injured protecting the King on his first day and since his actions reminded everyone about how Link was it made everyone depressed and a few hurt themselves during training but none of them were actively suicidal

"We should have waited until we knew he was well and could defend himself, or at the least figured out a way to help Link, then maybe..."

"I know, but maybe...maybe this was meant to happen Mido, what happened to Link wasn't our fault, as for why he rarely visited us you know as well as I do that he had his duties, not to mention the fact that he could tell we were uncomfortable with the fact that he aged unlike the rest of us"

"And what about what happened to Ravio?"

"Yes, maybe we should have waited until he was stronger and could learn a couple of lessons before leaving but the infection would have still brought him down eventually, the doctor at the castle stated that our herbs helped hide the infection through ways that I don't fully understand, but we would have never found out he was sick and neither would he and that could have made things even more dangerous for him ultimately"

"How?"

"If the infection had manifested itself on his first day as a soldier, what do you think might have happened during his fight?"

"Oh"

"Yeah, oh is right, he could have been more seriously hurt, or even killed"

"So ultimately we did the right thing"

"Yes ultimately you guys did do the right thing"

In time the Kokiri accepted what Saria had said regarding Ravio's condition but they never fully accepted what she'd said regarding why Link didn't visit very often

_Present_

"There's going to be a lot to explain to the rest of the Kokiri plus I think Link will need to have a deep conversation about why he's stayed away for the most part"

"I think it may be time that either I or Zelda make an official visit and explain some things to them as well, I know that we've already sent an envoy to extend our thanks for the protection of my people who wonder into the Lost Woods accidentally but maybe it's time a personal visit is given"

"Well in any case that should wait until Link gets to us and explains things himself but first the Gorons per our choice"

"Very well"

Meanwhile Link and Darunia went up the mountain which took up half a day and since it was night time when they arrived it was agreed that things would wait until morning, that the explanation would take so long that it was better this ways. The next morning Darunia called a council meeting

"Ravio, wasn't expecting you, but Darunia why have you called for a meeting with Ravio involved?"

"You'll find out one everyone I called has arrived"

And so only a moment later Darunia's son arrives, and while normally he wouldn't be involved in a council meeting Darunia decided he had to be since he was getting ready to be one of the younger leaders of a new sub-council designed for the younger Gorons and as soon as Link entered the room he spoke up


	13. Chapter 13

"Ravio, what are you doing here?"

Darunia speaks up

"I will explain in a moment, however first I must inform you about some new information regarding Brother Link"

"But how? I thought we learned everything about Brother Link's death a long time ago, and even when we learned that he _hadn't_ died at the hands of his original captors I thought it was made clear that he'd been killed by those that stole him"

"That's what I believed as well, but it turns out that we were wrong"

"How so?"

"Brother Link is alive, the other Sages and I recently discovered this"

"But how...and if that's the case where is he?"

"Right here, it turns out that Ravio _is_ Brother Link, we just didn't know it because of his amnesia, but us Sages managed to break the cause of the amnesia and he now remembers his true name"

Link speaks up

"It's true, I remember everything now, not just the four years of torture, I'm sorry I was gone for so long and caused everyone pain with my apparent death but I'm back now and hopefully won't be going away again through death for a long, long time"

"Bro...Brother Link?"

"Yes, it's me"

Suddenly Link was in a group hug with the Gorons after they all cried as one

"Brother Link!"

"It's good to see you guys too...but breathing is also a good thing"

They all let go realizing that Link was beginning to have issues with the tight hugs

"I have the rest of the week with you guys to tell you everything so don't worry, and then...then I return home for the first time since they rescued me"

"Home?"

"Kokiri forest, it's been a long, long time since I last saw any of them as myself, and I think...I think it's time I talk to them about a few things"

"Besides that they'll need to know the truth about you Link"

"True, but I believe Saria's doing some of the explaining first before I get there for reasons of her own"

"Good point I forgot about that"

"Yeah, and besides it does give us time to explain things to everyone and get them used to saying my name again without...well you know"

"Mass confusion"

"Exactly, with your son being named Link and my name being Link..."

"We'll figure it out somehow, maybe, since you're Brother Link we'll always go with that"

"But what about the rest of Hyrule?"

"That is something they will have to figure out for themselves"

"In any case like I said I have the full week to explain things to you guys and simply be around you and let you guys get used to saying my real name again"

"Indeed, where will you go after you're done visiting the Kokiri?"

"I'm a soldier guys, I'm going to report to the King who will decide where I'm being stationed, besides we're still in a war and the King needs as many soldiers as he can get"

"Brother Link is right, plus as a Captain that means he'll be in charge of the soldiers and as such may not necessarily be on the front lines as much once at a position"

"Darunia's right actually, but in any case there's plenty of time right now to simply get to know each other again and talk about everything that I've missed while I've been gone"

"That sounds nice, especially seeing as how as Ravio you weren't exactly told much during the month you were here and it was more..."

"Yeah it was"

"Still, it's nice knowing that you're alive Brother Link"

And so for the next week there was simply a lot of updating on both sides, including how Link got to the point of being believed dead in the first place while the Gorons explained how they'd been during his time away

"Well, it's time for me to head to Kokiri forest and see them again, hopefully by now Saria's explained everything and it won't be such a shock for them"

"I'm sure she explained Brother Link"

"Well in any case it's time for me to go"

And so Link headed to Kokiri forest and while he didn't know it Saria did indeed tell the Kokiri the truth as promised though they didn't believe her, they _couldn't_ believe her in all reality because it was just too painful for the Kokiri. When he arrives he sees the King and Zelda arriving at the same time

"Your majesty, Princess Zelda, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon"

"We're here on an official visit to the Kokiri for reasons of our own Link, by the way Saria's told us that the Kokiri don't believe her about you so expect to be called Ravio and a _lot_ of explaining to do, and yelling and possible attempted suicide"

"She's been hiding things from me"

"Yep, from us too until recently"

And so once the group was in the forest proper the Kokiri addressed Link first

"Ravio!, we didn't think you were coming, Saria...she's been saying some weird things lately"

"Hey, when did you become a Captain?"

"Yeah...I need to talk to you guys about that, and my name"

"They don't believe me by the way, what makes you think that they'll believe you?"

"Oh I'll figure it out Saria"

"You'd better Link, because quite frankly I have nothing else to prove it's really you"

"I know, I know and the others are starting to glare at me too, so I guess it's time to explain things to everyone"

"Yeah, it is, multiple times if needed"

"And my daughter and I also have some things to explain to the Kokiri as well once you're finished with your explanations"

"Okay everyone, time to sit down and listen because there's a lot to explain, but the first is that Saria's telling you the truth, the person you gave the name Ravio to is actually me, and I'm actually Link, the same Link who's been thought dead for about six years now, I know that doesn't make sense but I _did_ have amnesia and recently it was cured, so what happened was..."

And so Link spent the next hour explaining things to the Kokiri and once that was done the King and Zelda also explained a few things, including why Link was gone so often and then Link also added to that explanation and how due to the fact that he grew up he could tell not only that the Kokiri didn't know how to act around him as he aged but he himself was unsure of his place in the forest

"Then...then it's really you Link?"

"Yes Mido, it's really me, and I promise that from now on I won't be as distant as before everything happened"

"And we'll help with that as much as we can as well"

"How?"

"Well making sure that when he's on mandatory breaks that he gets enough time to visit you from time to time and remind him about his promise, plus at least temporarily we actually need a new Captain as a go between for our people, unfortunately bird messages are simply not possible at the moment as Link himself discovered"

"Good point, I did discover that myself, in an annoying fashion too"

"I'll bet it was annoying to you, it downright infuriates us at the castle"

"Yeah I'm sure it does, in any case I also agree that there should be face to face contact for a bit, and if you're ordering me to be that person than I accept, but how often are we to meet?"

"That's something I will let you and the Kokiri decide Captain Link"

"Understood sir"

"In the meantime Zelda and I have done our bit of explaining, you still have a week with the Kokiri so enjoy your break"

And so that week was spent simply rebonding with the Kokiri and actually _talking_ to them not only about his own feelings regarding his strange status with them but also about how _they_ felt about the whole situation with him, both before and after the four years of captivity and then the rest of the time amnesic

"So...have to go now huh?"

"Yes I do, but we haven't agreed yet on how frequent the contact will be"

"Good point, while you've been doing other things we've been trying to figure that out ourselves, what do you think about once a week?"

"Not bad, and it would be hard to do twice a week, but are you sure you could do it that often for an undetermined amount of time?"

"If needed yes, it's better than once every two weeks"

"You have a point Mido, but still, being in such regular contact with the Royal family will undoubtedly change everyone in some way depending on how long the contact is regular"

"We know Link, but it's for the best for everyone"

"Then shall my return be the first report?"

"Yeah, I think it should, though there won't be much to say"

"True, but the fact that a decision has been made and that we've made our peace will work for them this time around at least"

"Good point, oh can you ask the King to give us reports on the outside world if possible?"

"You want to prepare yourselves for trouble"

"Yeah it's...I don't know why but it's something that's important I think"

"I'll see what he decides, but remember that he has the ultimate say"

"We know"

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go, see you guys next week"

"See you next week Link"

"See you guys next week"

And with that Link heads back to the castle so as to make his report, plus as the go between for the two groups he needed to know what his new official orders were to be for the in-between times. Once back he goes to the throne room and waits until he's given permission to come to the throne


	14. Chapter 14

"Your Majesty, the Kokiri are doing okay as you know and we've had a good visit, they have decided that a report will be given once a week and have requested that we bring them news of the outside world if that's permissible"

"Granted Captain Link, Princess Zelda will see you later in order to give you your new orders in private for whenever you aren't with the Kokiri"

"Understood sir"

And so once alone Link learns that he's one of the guards in the throne room, he also discovers that a shortcut to the Kokiri had recently been discovered which would cut travel time to half a day or full day depending on how hard he pushed his horse

"Do the Kokiri know of this shortcut?"

"Yes actually, Saria was the one who discovered it and brought it to our attention after talking it over with the other Kokiri, we simply didn't say anything because of the fact that you needed that time with the Gorons and time to think about everything that's changed all of a sudden with you regaining your memories"

"Okay, at least they know, so...when does this new rotation of mine start?"

"Tomorrow"

"Got it"

And so the next day Link took up his position close to the King as he had before his supposed death and it was completely natural in his mind, and those that remembered him as well because they could tell that Link was Captain Link, personal guard of the Princess and yet also a normal soldier in that at any given moment he could be ordered to lead a troop of soldiers, even if he mainly stayed out of the battlefield except in extreme situations such as the one that originally led to his capture and supposed death several years earlier

"You know, I wonder how we didn't see it sooner"

"You did, after all you made enough comments about it"

"Okay, you have a point regarding that but still, maybe...maybe if we had confronted you or requested to the King and Princess Zelda that we tell you of our suspicions we might have figured out a way to regain your memories sooner, even if it was only partially"

"Maybe but what's done is done"

"True, so...what are your orders anyways?"

"I'm here for now for reasons that are only for the King and Princess Zelda to know"

"Got it, still we could use you on the battlefield considering that you know the enemy"

"True, but the fact that they aren't hiding in the shadows anymore should help"

"You know about that huh?"

"Yes, I know about that"

"It helps but...we still need you Captain Link, you're the only one who can fight the enemy and reduce casualties"

"I'm afraid that until I get other orders I can't leave my station and you know that"

"I know it's just...frustrating I guess"

"I know, but maybe...maybe I can help in a different way"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I just need to talk to some people first though"

"Okay, still, it's nice to have you back and _know_ it's you"

"I'm sure it is, by the way how has the King managed the whole Ravio situation?"

"It's slow going but the soldiers _are_ being told, those who served with you the most were one of the first one's informed of the situation by the way so when you see them next they'll call you by your proper name, and don't be surprised if some of them request being in your unit"

"I'm sure they will be, not only because I know that my legend has been passed through the ranks but because of the fact that several have asked to be part of my unit once I'm a Captain even though they would be Captain's before me or at around the same time as me"

"You're a natural leader Captain Link"

"Yeah I know, and as you know"

"Yeah, you're not explaining why that is"

"Exactly"

"But what I don't understand is why you're not explaining"

"Can't by Royal decree"

"Got it"

The next three months weren't necessarily the easiest, especially when Link was unable to return to the Castle after his weekly visit for three weeks because of enemy forces trying to get to the Kokiri, which meant that the King had sent Link reinforcements but eventually Link was officially back on the front lines

"Do you understand your orders Captain Link?"

"Yes your Majesty, I understand"

"Then good luck, and don't do what you did nearly six or seven years ago"

"I know, not many would survive another situation like that"

"Exactly"

"I'll do my best not to, in any case it's time to go"

"Yes, your troops are waiting for you out front Captain"

And as he suspected at least half of those troops were a mixture of people who had serve with him as Link before and those who had served with him when he was only known as Ravio and had wanted to serve with him once he became Captain despite the fact that they would have risen in rank before or at around the same time as him

"Okay guys, once we get to our post I will explain how things will work and how we'll be getting our some...issues that I already know are going to pop up"

"Understood Captain Link, um...are those issues in regards to half the forces here?"

"Yep"

"Figures actually considering we're known to the Captain"

"Yes you are and we need to _talk_ about boundaries and other things"

Once the group was at their post and it was secured Link got everyone he needed to talk to gathered in one area

"Okay everyone here's the thing, everyone who knew me as Captain Link before everything happened needs to understand that I am not the same man I was before, too much has happened to me to allow for that, the same goes for those who have really only known me as Ravio, now that I have my memories back I am going to act differently than before. Now then I will try and stay back as much as possible so that what happened several years ago doesn't happen again, no one could survive a second incident I don't think, as such you're going to have to keep an eye on me and make sure I am following those restrictions"

"Understood, so...are you under direct orders not to have _that_ happen again?"

"Yes I am, but understand that if I am needed on the front lines I am needed on the front lines"

"We know, we just weren't very happy about what you did, when Princess Zelda and the other Sages found out..."

"I can imagine"

"Um...what exactly are you talking about?"

"Are they cleared for this?"

"Yes actually, I found out when I was given this assignment that anyone who's served with me while I was known as Ravio is cleared for the information, as are those who served with me as Captain Link before...well you know"

"Yeah we know, we know all too well unfortunately"

"Yeah, that would be my fault by the way"

"No kidding"

"So I didn't quite plan for what happened, considering it was spur of the moment I'm surprised I didn't make things worse"

"Yeah guess so"

"Um...what exactly are you talking about Ra...Captain Link?"

"Right...story time for several people I think, though not immediately, tomorrow is soon enough"

"Yeah...tomorrow indeed, we still have work to do anyways"

"Though at least most of the work is already done"

"True enough but still there's a little bit more work to do, so tomorrow is soon enough"

The next day after making sure that patrols were set and things were currently calm Link gathered everyone who deserved to hear the full story

"Okay, first I have to explain a few things to those who only knew me as Ravio and then I'll tell the full story for everyone's understanding"

"Yeah, they might actually benefit from an explanation now that I think about it"

"Okay, so for those of you who have only known me as Ravio is that the first thing you should know is that for reasons that I can't tell you I've been a decent fighter since I was young, that skill basically afforded me rapid promotion through the ranks and I became the youngest Captain at seventeen which turned out to be a good thing because war soon came upon us by those we now have a treaty with. I was initially not on the front lines because I was needed to train the soldiers and...I was one of the guards for the King and Princess Zelda for reasons known only to the three of us and the Sages, but a year into the war it was obvious I was needed on the front lines leading troops and not at the castle"

"Actually wasn't it about two months before a year had passed?"

"Not quite, we were in discussions at that time but I was needed still for troop training and we thought we still were on for peace treaty or at the very least truce talks with our enemies under a cease-fire, unfortunately..."

"Wait...I heard about that, then that means..."

"Yeah, our wishes weren't granted and the war continued, we tried but we failed"

"Wait...what happened?"

"Our forces were attacked and all but one was killed, we thought it was our enemy at the time but when they signed the treaty they denied that, and it turns out that they were telling the truth. What we didn't know was that at the time even if the talks had gone underway they wouldn't have signed anything because of factors that were unknown to us at the time which brought the war in the first place"

"In any case we wrongly accused them of the act and decided that further talks were impossible at that time and then once a year had passed it was decided that I was officially and definitively needed on the front lines more than I was needed as a guard or training officer"

"Would you have wanted to handle talks again at a later date?"

"Yes, but we all decided that trying to have peace or truce talks when tempers were high was too dangerous and so we deliberately decided to wait at least half a year, unfortunately that didn't happen or at the very least as far as I know it didn't happen considering I was on the front lines by then. That year was...harsh is the easiest way to put it, all of you who serve with me at that time remember how frequently we had to change troops out, how many times we were forced into a retreat to heal from our wounds and get new soldiers. We somehow managed to hold the line after about eight months and that's where the line held, and then..." (sighs) "and then came the day those who served with me before remember quite well"

"Yes, all too well, we...we never knew or understood why you did what you did that day"

"The King and Princess already know, but you deserve to know as well"

"So that we can prevent it from happening again?"

"That's not the only reason, but it's definitely part of it"

"Makes sense, so what _really_ happened that day?, all I know is that one minute you're leading the charge and then the next..."

"It's an all out retreat with my second-in-command giving the orders and you guys seeing me taken away"

"Yeah"

Link sighs at that

"I wish it had never happened, in any case here's what happened that day and _why_ you guys had to go through what you did for so long"


	15. Chapter 15

_Several years earlier_

Link had ordered the charge knowing that otherwise they might lose the line that they were currently holding and he himself was in the thick of it when suddenly he was surrounded. Now then normally that wouldn't be a problem except for two things, the first was that his enemies were decent enemies, the second was their secret trump card that they were about to reveal to Link to force his surrender

"Surrender Captain"

"Never!"

"Shall we kill your men then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look behind us"

As soon as Link sees the weaponry that he _knew_ could kill his men he throws down his sword in obvious surrender

"Alright, you win, just let my men go unharmed and I won't try and escape" (thinks) " _for now anyways, once I am in their care I'll make further decisions based on what I see there_ "

And with that Link is bound and when his second-in-command sees that he orders the retreat and while retreating his men also see him bound and being taken prisoner. Now then while the enemy kept their word about not furthering any attacks the fighting up to that point had incurred injuries and death and Link's second now had to make some hard decisions

"Okay, I know that there are injured and dead, but...the King needs to be told about this, I'm asking for volunteers"

"I'll go sir"

"No, your injuries..."

"I know...I know but you know as well as I do that the enemy could come back, and even with my injuries I have the best chance of getting back"

"You're not an official courier, if it was me I could get away with it because it's well known that Captain's send their second back to report information depending on sensitivity, but you..."

"I know sir, and I'm prepared to face the consequences, just let me go"

The person now in command thinks about it and then remembers an incident before he transferred to Link's unit where another Captain was forced into this exact situation and that Captain's solution was what Link's second was now remembering primarily because it saved the soldier's life

"Okay I'll send you, but not without two items"

"Sir?"

Suddenly everyone sees their commanding officer take two items off their person, the first is a special necklace that had been given to him by Link the first day Link took command of the unit, the second thing he took off was a ring that he'd been wearing for a long, long time and hands both to the soldier he was allowing to go ahead of the group and make a report to the King

"Whatever you do, do _not_ lose or take off those two items, am I understood?"

"Yes but...why do I...?"

"There's no time to explain, we'll be following behind you as soon as we can, but you must get there ahead of us for more reasons than one"

"Understood, keep the necklace and ring on me at all times and let the King know about you guys needing help getting the rest of the way home and...about our Captain's capture"

"Exactly"

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Nope everything else you already have learned"

"Got it, hopefully I'll be part of the relief crew"

"You obey the King's orders you understand me?"

"Yes sir"

"Now go!"

And with that the soldier leaves the rest of his unit behind and hurries to the castle and barely conscious by the time he arrives due to a combination of his injuries and sheer exhaustion from how hard he pushed himself

"Must...must see King...immediately"

"Hold it soldier, you're not a recognized courier"

"Commander said...show this..."

The soldier reveals the necklace and ring which causes the one guard to hiss

"Sir, you recognize these items?"

"Yes, one of them anyways, take him to the King immediately, this man is an emergency courier sent by Captain Link's second-in-command for some reason"

And so the soldier is brought before the King

"Report"

"Sir, my unit needs people to meet with them on the road back due to injuries incurred in the last battle, I was in the best condition to return your Majesty. I also...I also regret to report that Captain Link has been taken captive by the enemy and due to our condition we have no idea where he currently is"

"I see...he was definitely alive at the time of capture?"

"Yes sir"

"Understood, you are to seek medical attention and then remain as a castle guard until further notice"

"Yes sir, about the items my new Captain gave me..."

"I shall see that they are returned to him"

"Thank you"

With that the soldier actually passes out but is caught by the soldier who escorted him in and stayed next to him deliberately. While he was getting medical attention the rest of his unit were met with other medical supplies and soldiers for protection and they too were escorted to the castle. Eventually after everyone was either buried or healed the unit was given the orders to go back out into the front lines but also to find their Captain, but that order would never be met because only a couple of months later the enemy requested a peace treaty and this time around the signing went off as planned, though no one knew the treaty wasn't as forced as believed

_Present_

"While my unit was making their report I was being very mildly tortured, which in their minds wasn't really torture at all and eventually they decided to give me a quick clean death, and it should have worked but for some reason it didn't, and then for four years as far as I remembered I was tortured by a different group, and you guys know the story from there"

"Yeah you escaped, eventually being found by the Kokiri, who gave you the name Ravio and you returned to service and eventually regained your real memories"

"It took you so long to return home, not just physically but mentally as well due to your amnesia"

"Yes, it did indeed take me a long time to return home, much longer than intended I assure you"

"Couldn't be helped unfortunately, now then all we have to do is defeat the current enemy and things should hopefully go back to a sense of normal"

"Indeed, this war has gone on long enough"

"Yes it has, by the way since he's forgotten to mention it, that incident is the one where changes were officially made and official couriers were no longer required"

"Wait...I didn't hear that part"

"Right, that's something I think no one thought about explaining to you Captain after your official return or even when you were first training as Ravio"

"Indeed that's the case"

"Right then, let me explain things for everyone since that's told me that no one would have been told most likely when they first joined the military if it was done after these changes were fully established in everyone's mind, even though we train new soldiers to recognize all our men in and out of uniform. Once I was recovered enough I explained to the soldier I sent ahead with the necklace and ring that those items identified him as an emergency courier by my order and necessity, you see as Captain Link already knows only those of high ranking are or well were allowed to wear special necklaces that identified their place within their unit which also meant that they were the only ones who could send a soldier not known as a courier back home to act as one instead, and that necklace meant that the soldier was under that authority. The ring was an entirely different matter and given to me by the King while I was in my previous unit because that ring symbolizes that the person has the authority to pass on the duties of courier at need to someone else because until I became second in command _I_ was my unit's courier, but the day my previous Captain before serving under Link sent a different soldier instead of me it was a necessity because I was gravely wounded and near death due to fever and infection. I eventually recovered but the King realized that there had to be some way to allow an official courier to pass on their duties to another soldier quickly and easily so that death wasn't as huge a risk as before for abandoning your unit if you truly needed to leave to pass on a message but the courier was unable to. Only Captain's were informed of this change though and I'm certain that Captain Link knew the significance of the ring on my finger when he first saw it"

"Yes I did, I had been informed of it when the ring first came into use and was pleased that my second was also a courier who could pass on his duties at need if I asked him to"

"So you gave the soldier double protection, that ways if a soldier didn't recognize the meaning of one of the items hopefully they would recognize the meaning of the second item"

"Yes, and of course the King knew the significance of both"

"In any case after the war it was recognized that the necklace and ring method were...not as effective as believed and so our current method was developed with other means of proving if they were officially there as couriers or if they were actually deserters pretending to be couriers"

The next six months weren't the easiest on anyone, primarily because of the fact that no relief came after three months but eventually the war ended with a treaty. Over the years new soldiers would come as the older soldiers advanced in rank and Link's story was remembered every year on the anniversary of his return to being Captain Link and not just Ravio. Eventually Link would die after enjoying many years of retirement, he and Zelda never did marry as expected, at least they never _officially_ married as expected, but the two did go on to have kids together who were legitimate successors to the throne through really ridiculous legal means due to the fact that the only reason why the two never officially married was because of the fact that they both knew that as holders of the Tri-force it was too dangerous to be known as officially married. As such the two actually married in secret with very, very few people actually knowing about it, only the King, the Sages, the one who performed the ceremony and a select group of soldiers knew the truth. As for the Kokiri once Link was finished with being a soldier he became an official Ambassador between the Kokiri and Hyrule Castle, and he eventually trained his successor who got used to Saria _very_ quickly by force. When Link did pass away he was given a soldier's funeral and buried where his tombstone had been put so many years earlier for they did not remove the original grave by Link's own decision, and he requested he be buried where he was originally supposed to be if he had truly died that day so long ago and thus that request was honored


End file.
